Kharilaos Vasilakos

Kharilaos Vasilakos ( _el. Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος, 1877 - 1969) was a Greek athlete, and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a silver metal at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

He was born in Tripoli.

On March 10, 1896, Greece held the first modern Panhellenic Games. The main purpose of the games was to help the country formulate the team that would compete in the first Modern Olympic Games, later the same year. Most of the participants were young army recruits who had been selected by their commanders for their athletic skill. Vasilakos, born and raised at a mountainous village in the Mani peninsula, already had a reputation as a strong long-distance runner, and won the race with a time of 3 hours and 18 minutes.

Vasilakos was one of 17 athletes to start the marathon race on April 10, 1896. He finished in second place, behind Spiridon Louis, with a time of 3:06.03 as one of only nine finishers. Both races were on 40 kilometre courses rather than the now-standard 42.195 kilometres.

Vasilakos went on to become a customs agent in Athens, where he died in 1969.

References

[http://www.hoc.gr/info/periodika/6o/4.asp Charilaos Vasilakos, the favorite who finished second (In Greek)]